Industrial design student Marie-Catherine
Dubé won a Global Synergy Research Grant to
conduct research for a semester in Nepal. Here
she works as a product designer with artisans
at the Association of Craft Producers (ACP) in
Kathmandu to help create products that utilize
the rich craft traditions of Nepal and will be
successful in both local and Western markets.
She will also consider the manufacturing process
for ACP products, which are all handmade and
fair trade, but are in competition with cheaper
factory-made products from other countries.
Her second project is to design and build a
playground for the Hope Initiative orphanage
in Pokhara. You can read more about Marie-Catherine’s design work and her experience
of Nepalese culture at her blog NAMA[STAY]:
http://namastaymariecatherine.wordpress.com.
Photo courtesy of Marie-Catherine Dubé.